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老家伙 (lǎo jiā huo) — (informal) old man, old fellow, old guy (affectionate or mildly derogatory)

Definition

Colloquial 'old guy / old fellow' — can be affectionate (talking about a familiar elder) or mildly dismissive ('that old geezer'), depending on tone. Usually refers to a man.

noun
(informal) old manold fellowold guy (affectionate or mildly derogatory)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 老家伙。
    Nà ge lǎo jiā huo yòu zài yuàn zi lǐ shài tài yáng le.
    That old fellow is sunbathing in the yard again.
  • 老家伙，。
    Nǐ bié lǐ nà ge lǎo jiā huo, tā shuō huà zǒng shì hěn nán tīng.
    Don't mind that old geezer, he always speaks rudely.
  • 老家伙，。
    Zhè lǎo jiā huo suī rán nián jì dà le, dàn shēn tǐ hái yìng lǎng dé hěn.
    This old guy may be old, but he's still in great shape.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

老lǎoold
家伙fellow
家jiāfamily伙huǒcompanion
联合Coordinate

老 means old, and 家 and 伙 together name a fellow or guy, so 老家伙 is an old fellow.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape 老 combines 人 (man), 毛 (hair), and 匕 (cane), showing a man with long hair leaning on a cane.

Open 老 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢑓
𢑓𢑓家jiā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The early drawing of 家 showed a roof 宀 over a male-pig sign 𢑓 that gave the pronunciation; the lower part later changed shape.

Open 家 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 夥; 伙 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 伙 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (大伙儿, 伙) it is 夥; in others (小伙子) it is 伙.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
多多duō
Sound part声符shēngfú
果
果guǒ夥huǒ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 夥 combines 多 (many) with 果 as a sound part. The simplified 伙 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical parts.

Open 伙 →
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